Shoes
by Sophisticated.Simplicity
Summary: After a near kiss their last day of the sixth year at Hogwarts, things at the Burrow get akward. RonHermione UPDATED! LAST CHAPTER NOW HERE!
1. Prologue Shoes

-1Prologue

**A/N: Didja all know I take requests? That's right I do! So first order of business, if you have a story you'd particularly like to see me write, just give me the basic gist on a comic and I'll get back too you Anyway. If I get five reviews, I'll continue from this little prologue and start the REAL story. But if not, it will continue to be a little standalone fic. How sad.**

Hermione hadn't honestly noticed how tall Ron was until that very moment on time. Covered by his robe that sheltered them from the rain, her mud-coated shoes hanging brazenly from one hand. It wasn't a very romantic pose to say the least.

But Ron seemed to think so.

Because at that moment, he leaned over Hermione, their faces barely brushing, She didn't exactly know what was going on at first, but instinct told her that it was something good. That she should just lean forward and let in happen.

But Hermione Granger would be damned before she ever listened to her instincts. Even if said instincts were telling her to go ahead- Ron had signaled a green light. All systems go. He was making the move that she had always wanted him to make.

But Hermione couldn't do it.

Pushing him away slightly, she moved from under the cover of his robes, still clad in only socks, she thrust her shoes into his hands- she had no other place to put them.

"I've got to go." She croaked, smoothing some wild curls from her face, the young witch felt as if she was going to cry. But regardless, she began to sprint across the courtyard

"'Mione?" Ron called half-heartedly after her " You forgot your slippers."


	2. Thyme Time

-1**'Shoes'**

**Chapter 1: Thyme Time**

**A/N: Okay! FIVE reviews- next time we're going for ten, people!**

**BTW: I do not own. Put yer lawyers away, boys an' girls!**

"Hermione, darling! Oh, how nice it is to see you again, love!" Ms.Weasly's over-enthused greetings always seemed to bring Hermione out of whatever depressed stupor she might bee in at the given moment. But now, it seemed, after the 'Kiss-That-Could've-Been-If-I-Hadn't-Been-Such-A-Prat' (Hermione referred to it as KTCBHBSP if her head) nothing could cheer her up.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Weasly." She greeted weakly, smiling halfheartedly in the jovial woman's direction. The missus didn't seem to notice Hermione's lack of luster - she simply swept up her two suitcases and began to dash towards the living room.

"Ron's in his room love. Why don't you two have a nice chat before dinner?"

"_Oh, God!"_ Hermione hissed under her breath, just quiet enough for no normal person to hear, but this was miss Weasly we're talking about. She hears _all_.

"What was that, love?" The red-headed housewife perked up a bit, raising an eyebrow at the young witch.

"I said…uh…'oh good!'" _Nice save, Granger._

"Oh! Well…good!" Miss Weasly skipped off again, which was odd. Hermione had never seen Ron's mother act so happy in her entire life. Maybe she had been taking some of that muggle drug…_ Prozac _ or something.

Knowing that she would have to face the music someday, The brown-haired girl took

_One two three_

cautious steps in the direction of Ron's door

_Four five six _

3 more steps- she was almost there

_Seven eight-_

And there she was. Standing forlornly in front of the small wooden door. Opening said door could mean the beginning of an eternity of awkwardness between her and Ron. Not Opening could mean several nosy questions from Ms. W as to why her son's best friend was wallowing around the kitchen like a lost kitten.

_Bottom of the ninth, Granger. Hit or miss. To be or not to be. Choose quickly young one. Strike one._

Oh Merlin

_Strike two_

What happened when it got to three?!!

_Strike thr-_

She firmly grasped the brass doorknob and twisted it, pushing the panel open forcefully.

And there, sitting on his bed in a pair of Chudly Canons nighties, was Ronald Weasly.

"Bloody Hell, 'Mione!" He croaked, feebly grabbing at the sheets to cover up his rather embarrassing pajyamas. Hermione resisted the urge to laugh.

"Sorry." She mumbled. Just about to sit down on his bed before she realized- was she really aloud to sit there? It was like this. There was a line that separated friends from lovers. Hermione and Ron had, before, been dancing around that line- and then Ron (the prat…) had decided to push herself and him over that line. Only, they didn't get all the way over. She and Ron were right there on the line- like limbo. Only worse. It was friendship-Lover Limbo.

And, of course, if he hadn't tried to make such a move, they would still be on the friendship side and she probably would have sat on his bed and began chatting right now. And if they had say, successfully crossed over the line, Ron would probably be snogging her face off right about now.

Merlin.

Why did life have to be so hard?

&&&&&&&&&&

"Dearies!" Oh, it was cheery Molly. Again.

Ms. Weasly popped inside Ron's room where he and Hermione had been sitting in awkward silence for about ten minutes now, just waiting for a break of some sort, and, waddaya know, here it came. And not a moment too soon.

"Me and Arthur," She paused, seemingly for dramatic effect "Are going out for a surprise anniversary dinner!" She smiled and clapped "Anyways, we'll be gone for most of the night. But I think you two can take care of yourselves. I mean Fred and George aren't here or anything." She smiled with contentment before taking a step back and almost shutting the door, but she kept it open just a crack. "Oh, and loves, Harry will be here early tomorrow morning along with Ginny. Ta!"

And, to Ron and Hermione's horror, Molly and Arthur Weasly were gone.

They were home.

Alone.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"Hold these ingredients for me, 'Mione." The red-headed Weasly placed some spices and herbs in Hermione's arms, without even sparing a glance.

Damn! She hated Limbo. Although, who would like it, really?

There was a pot of simmering water on the small heated stove, and Ron was busy putting potatoes, onions and assorted other veggies into the pot. SO busy that he didn't pay any attention as he reached over into Hermione's arms to grab the Thyme, but ended up grabbing something…_else_.

The brown haired girl yelped in surprise as his hand made contact with her breast, almost dropping all of the parcels, but making a quick save.

Meanwhile, Ron's face was turning as red as his hair, the embarrassment so much it was almost painful. But it was worth it.

Oh, was it worth it.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

She had always had trouble sleeping, it was a mater of her Genes. No granger ever got a good night's sleep (Although they seemed to have no trouble waking up in the morning…)

But tonight was different. She couldn't sleep because, well, she was frightened. The branches of a tree were scraping against the window in Ginny's room like some kind of un-wanted stranger, trying in futility to pass through.

After she had had enough of this, Hermione silently crept from her bed and tip-toed to her door- when she was younger this always happened in the Burrow and she always went to Ron's room, where she was headed right now. Her frazzled and sleep deprived brain wasn't about to tell her otherwise.

Creeping down the hallways, floor boards creaked forebodingly and wind rustled all around the house as she reached Ron's threshold and opened the door.

"Ron…you awake?"

"…Kinda."

"Sorry to bother you, but the wind in my room is making it rather hard to sleep- may I stay here for the night?" Ron replied by scooching over of his bed and patting the space that he had let open. Hermione silently crawled in and snuggled against the covers.

Ah, the wonders of a sleep-deprived mind.


	3. Akward situations

-1**'Shoes'**

**Chapter 2: Awkward situations**

**A/N: Thank you all so much for getting up to par on the reviews! (I actually Didn't expect people to live up to my crazy demands, but, hey. I'm not complaining…) We need FIFTEEN next time, people.**

**I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER OR THE SONG_ SOUND OF SETTLING!!_**

Usually, when you wake up spooning with a person, He/She is your lover, girlfriend, bar date etc, etc.

It is very rare, however to wake up spooning with your best friend.

"Mmmf…" Hermione grumbled slightly as she shifted against Ron in the bed. The teen had absolutely no idea where she was, and quite frankly was too tired to try and find out.

"'Mione…" A figure next to her moaned. Now this, dear readers, is what woke Hermione Granger up.

"Oh, Merlin….Ron, is that you?" She half-screeched in terror, sitting bolt-upright in the bed. "Oh, my God, Oh, my god!!!" She had never felt more terrified than she did at this moment.

_I've got a hunger_

_Twisting my stomach into knots_

_So that my tongue is tied off _

Fred and George must have been home, because their strange muggle rock was blasting through the stereo.

_My brain's repeating_

_If you've got an impulse let it out_

_But they never make it past my mouth_

"Fred! George!" Hermione screeched "Turn that music down!!!" And then, she noticed her mistake. If she had just shouted from Ron's room, and surely his parents must bee home by now, that meant-

"Ron? Have you seen Hermione? I just heard her yelling from around here and I was wondering…" Arthur Weasly's voice was drifting throughout the hallways, signaling the fact that his arrival in the room was going to be sure and soon.

_This is the sound of settling_

_This is the sound of settling _

"Get in the closet!" Ron yelled over the roar of the music. Hermione quickly sprang into action and leapt from the bed, sprinting to the closet, sliding the door shut.

_Are you this fleeting_

_Old age is just around the bend_

_I can't wait to go gray_

"Ronald?" Mister Weasly peered into his room, scanning the perimeter "I though I heard Hermione from in here…"

_Achoo!_

The sneeze echoed through Ron's small room, causing him to flinch as his father took three purposeful strides towards his closet

_I'll sit and wonder_

_Of very love that could have been_

_Had I thought of something to say_

"Hermione," It was obvious that Arthur wished he was anywhere but there at the moment "Well…I uh…um…please tell me you used protection, Ronald…." His hand was currently rubbing the back of his head as he turned to face Ron "I…I uh…won't tell mum about this….It'll Just be between the three of us….so uh…" Arthur exited as quickly as humanly possible.

_This is the sound of settling_

_This is the sound of settling_

_This is the sound of setting_

"Ron! Your father thought that we had…had…_relations!" _Hissed Hermione, getting up from her spot and glowering at the young Weasly.

"Well, of course, 'Mione. I mean half naked girl sitting in my closet." Ron paused for a moment, and looked as if he was contemplating something as he got up from the bed.

"But I suppose if there were anyone that I would want my father to catch me with," another pause "It would be you."

Hermione's lips formed a thin line as she watched him walk from the room.

Somewhere in the distance, a song ended.

_I've got a hunger_

_Twisting my stomach into knots…_

_**I/N: I am so sorry this took so long to post! My computer broke down and I knew I would never be able to get this up before I lost all my reviewers if I didn't find a cheesy way to fill the space, so it became a song chapter.**_


	4. Reading is Sexy

-1**Chapter four: Reading is sexy**

**A/N: Again, thank you for all of the kind reviews I have been getting it keeps this story going. We're going for twenty…**

**By the way, If you haven't read the book _Wuthering Heights _yet, I encourage you to do so. It's a beautiful romantic novel that many people will enjoy. I tip my hat to Emily Bronte! Plus this entire chapter is pretty orientated around it, so I suggest you pick it up and skim a few pages before reading this.**

**IDONOTOWN**

_he's more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same, and Linton's is as different as a moonbeam from lightning, or frost from fire._

Hermione found herself becoming immersed in the muggle literature that she held at her fingertips, beautiful and sure was the story of _Wuthering Heights. _She often dreamt of a romance like that of Cathy and Heathcliff- although the smart witch knew that those kind of romantic affairs were made strictly for novels.

"Whatcha reading, 'Mione?" Ron strode over to where Hermione was in the back of the library: The muggle lit section. Around her stood stacks and stacks of books- the proprietors didn't bother to put up shelves, barely anybody ever went back there for a read.

"_Wuthering Heights_, A Bronte masterpiece." She replied curtly, looking up from the yellow stained pages. The book was old, that was for sure. It was a dark blue and the binding was tearing off.

"_Wuthering Heights?_ That's an odd name for a book. Never been back here before. Never was much of one for muggle lit…"

"You were never much of one for lit period, Ronald. The only way I could drag you down on this outing is if I promised to go to the quittage shop afterwards." Ron wasn't listening to Hermione's banter as he sifted through all of the books in the stacks.

The Bronte sisters, Harper Lee, Shakespeare, Dickens, the brothers Grimm, Carl Hiassen… All of the names boggled his mind without reason.

"Okay, Ron I think I'm done here. We can go to the quittage shop, now." The brown haired girl reached to set the book on the top of the stack, but her counterpart grabbed it from her.

"I think I might want to check this one out…" He admitted bashfully, holding the decrepit copy of _Wuthering Heights _in his hand, he looked over Hermione's stunned face.

"You? Bronte? Seriously?" She spoke in fragmented words, looking at Ron in disbelief.

"Me. Bronte. Seriously." He nodded, brushing past Hermione. "I'm going to check this out. I'll meet you outside in ten!"

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

_My love for Linton is like the foliage in the woods; time will change it, I'm well aware, as winter changes the trees. My love for Heathcliff resembles the eternal rocks beneath--a source of little visible delight, but necessary. _

The words made Ron's mind feel deflated. He had managed to grasp at least part of the concept, and all in all he had really been enjoying it. Mostly because, half the time he had been imagining him and Hermione as Cathy and Heathcliff, such unbound, unabashed love…

But again, such romance was made only for novels.

Scratching the back of his head, he flipped the page and continued to divulge in the story, so intertwined with the life of fictional characters he didn't notice the object of his affection as she walked through his doorway cautiously.

"Ron?" He almost jumped out of his socks when he heard her meek voice, looking up though, he saw that it was only Hermione.

"Bloody 'ell, 'Mione," He choked.

"Sorry Ron, I just wanted to let you know that dinner is ready, and that…" She paused, seemingly searching for the right words. "I hope your enjoying the book," She bounded out before she could say anything else. Looking down, Ron read the last sentence of the page.

_Nelly, I am Heathcliff! He's always, always in my mind--not as a pleasure, any more than I am always a pleasure to myself, but as my own being._


	5. Fix it

-1**Shoes chapter five: Fix it**

**A/N: Next time: 25 reviews, people! This is the second to last chapter. Next one will be the big bang. The end of shoes.  
**

Ron lay face down on his bed, _So Long, And Thanks For all the fish _Was open next too him, the pages slightly bent and old.

Ever since _Wuthering Heights , _Ron had come to love muggle literature, he wasn't exactly sure if it was because he himself enjoyed it, or simply because Hermione liked men who read- either way he had powered through part of Douglas Adam's five part trilogy, the rest of the Bronte sister's books, and _The Shining _(After that one, even when he saw a topiary on the tellie he broke out into a cold sweat) And it might not have been intentional, but he had noticed something else, all that reading had taken his mind off of the inconvenient truth.

He and Hermione were slowly growing apart.

Ever since the kiss, she had avoided him, their conversations became scarce. And every time he made physical contact with her, even if it was just a wee brush on the shoulder she would flinch and turn away, running off as soon as possible.

_It wasn't my fault_, he told himself that countless times as he lay alone on his bed, on the verge of a breakdown for the thought of loosing Hermione. _I thought she fancied me. But that's stupid. Why would a girl as flawless as Hermione want me?_ His heart was shattering into pieces, as he asked himself the same question over and over again in his head- a question that would never be answered.

_Why Doesn't she love me?_

**&&&&&&&&&&**

"Hermione, can I come in?"

"Sure. It's your room, after all, Ginny." The youngest Weasly walked into her room where Hermione was sitting on the bed, fiddling with her wand absent mindedly.

"Have you seen Ron?"

"Not recently." Hermione looked pained, there were little worry lines crinkled all across her forehead, and to be perfectly honest, Ginny was beside herself with worry. And then, something even more worrisome came about. Hermione's face crinkled up and she began to cry, tears cascading down her pale features as a sob escaped her mouth and a violent tremor wracked her body.

"Hermione!" Ginny rushed over and put her arm around her begotten friend "Are you alright?"  
"No!" She sobbed, burying her face into her hands "No I am _not _alright. I've messed everything up! I should have kissed him. And now it's all over. And-and-" She took in a deep, shaky breath "I can't deal with that! I don't want it to be over."

"It's not. It's not over Hermione." In truth, she had no idea what Hermione was talking about, but she was in no position to ask. "You just need to hold on a little longer."

"A little longer…" Her crying ceased and she looked up at her friend "Just how much time is a little longer, Ginny? What if I don't have a little longer?"

"Than you need to do it now." She was at this point, catching on a little, but still shooting blind.

"Your right." Hermione whispered. "I need to fix this now."

**TBC… **


	6. End

-1**Shoes**

"Mum, these shoes just don't feel right." A 14 year old girl stood in the doorway of a modest house, a pair of shiny shoes covering her stocking clad feet, her face bearing fiery auburn hair and large, childlike emerald eyes.

"Come show them to me, Sophia." Hermione motioned for her daughter to come next to her and the small five year old boy currently by her side on the tartan couch in the living room. Sophia did as she was told and came to her mother, giving her brother a kiss on the forehead as she handed Hermione her shoes. "Hmm. Maybe- I have just the thing." She announced, sitting up and putting the chocolate haired boy next to her eldest daughter "Watch Nathaniel for a moment."

"Mum! What're you doing? Don't wake up Olivia while you're in there!"

"I wouldn't-" The sound of a baby's wail suddenly resounded through the house and Sophia flinched "Bollocks!" A crash and tumble was heard as the volume of the keening increased, leading the young adult to wonder just what was going on inside the nursery. After all of the commotion, her ears were delighted to hear Hermione cooing her youngest child and tromping out of the room. She reappeared with a shoebox.

"Hand me Downs?" Sophia commented with a look of disgust "Old Hand Me Downs?"  
"Oh, but Soph. Just wait until you hear the story of these "Old hand Me Downs."

"They have a story?"

"Ohhhhh, yes. It's the story of how me and your father got together, without these shoes, you would not have been here today." She took her seat beside her daughter to reveal the old time worn shoes that had been through so much- the day she and Ron had gotten together, they had had a fight in which she threw them at him in a fit of anger at his bulk headedness. This, of course had lead to remorse and the eventual kiss.

"Really? Oh, tell me!"  
"Well, it all started on a very, very rainy day…"


End file.
